Hi, I don't currently own a Vette but I'm on the lookout for one. I just wanted to get some advice about one first.

I think the C3's are the best looking body style of all, and I want to try and find an 82 since that was the year I was born, plus I like them better then some of the older C3's.

I have been looking for a straight rolling body, I don't really care about interiour or drivetrain.

I would like to put in a LT1 or LS1 for backed with some type of automatic tranny.

For appearance I want a set of non pop up head lights and just a hood like on some of the older c's with the cowl that has vents on it (hope I explained that right) and a decent set of rims.

Not a race car by any means, just a modern relaible engine in a beatiful car, if anyone has any advice/comments/suggestions or any information regarding this, I would love to hear them.

Thanks
-Kyle

 

welcome to my world. that was my first thought. well, i got one for 10k with the original engine, a beautiful chromium yellow paintjob and a first rate leather interior. gotta love that leather. original rims added to my growing sense of nostalagia. in any case, the only thing that has completely been swapped out is the engine, and in doing so i learned if you want a dependable car, get one all original- i mean with no jimmyrigged components. the original rims look pretty good, and the original engine in 82's isnt bad, i would try to find an original car in decent shape and go from there. as someone on this forum once said, it doesn't make sense to buy a lesser car just to save a grand. my engine is put in well, but it ripped out the rear end.... too much i guess i went into overkill mode. but the good news is that once i get it built back up ill be able to stomp most sports cars with extreme prejudice.. or anything else in my small town. mainly, look for a decent interior as it can cost 3k just to replace the interior, look for rust in front of the rear wheels on the frame, as this is notorious place for rust on c3's. a frame is very expensive. anything over 60k or around there in my opinion shoud have the front trailing arms rebuilt, as i think this is a repair in the 1-3 thousand range. these are all the things i can think of right off hand, and anyone feel free to correct me on anything stated here. oh, one more thing, if you find any rust at all on the, body, run away. it could be boobytrappped. being a fiberglass car, rust doesnt exist. i actually found one with rust. mustve been a lot of metalwork to make that fake corvette. :lol:

 

a lot of good advise. hold off as long as you can stand untill you know the car your looking at is the right one for you. i could tell you a horror story about an impetuous purchase that has bitten the buyer in the butt but long story. there are plenty of these cars out there so finding a good one shouldn't be extremely hard. just beware and learn all you can about the cars and what to look for, i.e. rust at the frame kick-up (as described above), look for rust at the base of the windshield, inspect the rear suspension thoroughly. i know what your thinking, "hey, i live in MS, rust isn't that big a deal". i used to live there too, there is nothing to keep cars up north from being sold there (trust me, i know) so watch out for rust! keep in mind the corvette rear suspension is the only g.m. front engine/rear wheel drive IRS in production since '63. if your not used to looking at one and what are warning signs, get educated. one thing to keep in mind is that a car where most of the accessories work is likely to be in good shape, one where the seller has an excuse for why this doesn't work or that doesn't work might not be telling you about the band-aid he used just to get it running.
as for your intended mods, i think you should definately pass on the idea of an LS-1. an LT-1 would be more do-able but i think you would be better off with a rebuilt vintage engine or crate small block and installing an aftermarket injection system on it. the '82 has 'issues' with it's injection system. not being an owner, i won't pass judgement but it's either loved or hated. i will say that non-owners and some former owners refer to it as 'cease-fire' injection. 80-82 is all the same body style with very few changes so don't just limit your search to the '82.

 

the reason the interiour isnt a very big deal to me is I plan on having a set of race seats with a 5 point harness, and doing something custom with the guages.

Aftermarket rims as well so stockers arnt a big concern either.

I kinda want to retro style one I guess, the way I would do a new car just with the timeless c3 look.

I have noticed the 80-82 are very similar, the front end seems a little differnt but if I could have my way, 82 just because of mental reasons :)